If the pressure of responding to fan comments and complaints proved too much for Flappy Bird creator Dong Nguyen, he may find that pulling the game from app stores has only made the situation worse, as his Twitter feed becomes filled with angry players hurling abuse.

You would think people had been denied oxygen rather than the opportunity to relentlessly tap a screen in order to navigate a small bird through a system of pipes to seemingly no end, with the caps lock key being firmly depressed as the threats rolled in.

"YOU BEST NOT BE DELETING FLAPPY BIRD BECAUSE I WILL MURDER YOU IF U DO," one Twitter user wrote (sic), despite the fact the game is still very much playable as long as you don't remove the app.

"If you delete flappy bird I will literally kill myself. It’s my drug and I am so addicted!! PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS TO MEEE PLEASEE.” another added, with a third chiming in: "I’ll find you and i’ll kill you."